Video place-shifting devices, including the Slingbox® by Sling Media Inc., allow users to access a video content source, such as a satellite or cable television set-top box, standalone digital video recorder (DVR), or digital video disc (DVD) player, from a remote location. For example, a user on a business trip far from home may use a desktop or laptop computer, cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), or other communication device to communicate by way of the Internet, cellular network, or other communication network with a place-shifting device attached to a television set-top box located in the user's home. Through this communication, the user may control the set-top box to perform a variety of functions, including setting recording timers for an internal DVR, viewing audio/video programming being received live at the set-top box, and viewing programs previously recorded on the set-top box DVR. To view this programming, the set-top box transfers the programming over the communication network to the communication device, which presents the programming to the user by way of an output display, such as a computer screen.
In some cases, knowing whether a user is watching live or previously-recorded programming may provide desirable information regarding a user's viewing habits, the user's operation of the communication device, and other areas of interest. However, in the above example, since all programming viewed at the communication device is transmitted over the same communication network from the set-top box, determining whether a user is viewing live or recorded programming at any particular time may be problematic.